Samuel j



(Nb Model.)

S. J. HOGGSON 82; G. U. PETTIS.

METHOD OF COVERING KEY BOARDS 0P MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 274,828. I Patented Mar.20, 1883.

Nv PETERS. Plmtoiflhogmphen Washin mu. n. c.

Uurrnn STATES PATENT SAMUEL J. HOGGSON AXD GEORGE G. PETTIS, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONN.

METHOD OF COVERING KEY-BOARDS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,328, dated March 20, 1888.

Application filedNovember27,18@. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern \Ve prefer as the material from which to Be it known that we, SAMUEL J. HOGGSON make our coverings that which is described in and GEORGE G. PETTIS, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Methods of'Oovering Key-Boards of Musical Instruments; and we do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, the form with the blanks attached for seasoning purposes; Fig. 2, the key-board, showing the blanks as transferred thereto from .the form; Fig. 3, an edge view of the form and key-board as placed together for the transfer of the blanks from the form to the board.

This invention relates to an improvement in the method of covering key-boards for pianos and like musical instruments with pyroxyloid, celluloid, or other plastic compound of which pyroxyline or soluble cellulose is a component part. In the use of this material for the coverings of keys in musical instruments it has been the usual plan to lay the material in a sheet upon the key-board, cement it thereto, and then cutout the keys. This must be done before the material has become thoroughly seasoned, or it will so twist and spring out of shape as to render it useless for covering. In seasoning it contracts to such an extent as to warp and twist the board out of shape, which makes it not only difficult to cut out the keys, but causes the loss of many keys, because of misshape, or because ofair-bubbles, which unavoidably come between the board and sheet. The object of our invention is to overcome this difficulty; and it consists in cutting the coverings from a sheet to the required shape,

then securing them face downward and in reverse order upon a form, preferably of some fibrous or porous material, and there leaving them until thoroughly seasoned. Then, while Letters Patent granted to us August 23, 1881, No.245,952,and which materialisnowknown as pyroxyloid. We take this material in asheet of the required thickness and cut therefrom the coverings, say, for a set of keys, and before the material is thoroughly seasoned. These coverings we place face side down, and in reverse order, upon a form, A, as seen in Fig.1, and secure them to the form by any cement which is easily soluble. The form we prefer to make from a fibrous material-such, for illustration, as a thick piece of hard felt; but it may be of any suitable material, as soft wood. We leave the coverings on the form until they are thoroughly seasoned. The seasoning may be performed by artificial or natural processes. When thoroughly seasoned we coat the surface of the key-board B evenly with a suitable cellulose cement and sponge or otherwise moisten the exposed surface of the coverings with alcohol and ether, and then place the coment side of the board upon the moistened surface of the covering, as seen in Fig. 3, and subject the whole to pressure to bring the wood and coverings firmly together, and there leave them until the cement is thoroughly dried. Then take from the press and moisten the form with a solvent which will dissolve the cement between the form and the covering, so that the form may be easily removed, leaving the coverings firmly secured to the key-board. The coverings beingeach independent of the other, the liability of air-bubbles is avoided because the air can escape between the coverings, and the coverings being thoroughly seasoned before they are applied to the board, the trouble arising from the springing, warping, or twisting of the board or keys is avoided. The surface of the covering is finished and the keyboard cut in the usual manner to separate the keys.

Vhile we have described this invention as applied to the coverings m ade from our pyroXyloid, it will be evident that the same method may be employed in coverings made from celluloid or other plastic compound of which pyroxyline or soluble cellulose is a component part.

YVe claim- The herein-described method of covering erases keys of pianos and like musical instruments covering, and when the cementis hardened re- 10 with pyroxyloid, celluloid, or like plastic mamoving the form from the face-surface of the terial of which pyroxyline is a component part, coverings, substantially as described.

consisting in cutting the coverings to shape,

T cementing them upon a form face side down L' and in reverse order, to be there retained until J thoroughly seasoned, and then, while the cov- Witnesses erings are still held on the form, cementing Jos. U. EARLE,

the key-board to theexposed surface of the I J. H. SHUMWAY. 

